


A Safe Place With You

by Digi9797



Series: Persona Rarepair Week 2020 [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Phantom Thieves of Hearts (Persona 5), Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Persona 5 Protagonist Has Bad Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:33:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27757705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digi9797/pseuds/Digi9797
Summary: Hifumi is looking for a roommate to keep her company in her lonely apartment, and at first overjoyed to hear that her good friend Makoto might have found one for her but it’s not who she expected nor wanted....but even still she can’t seem to turn this possible roommate away...
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Togo Hifumi, Niijima Makoto & Togo Hifumi
Series: Persona Rarepair Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025598
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	A Safe Place With You

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt took a while and kinda got out of hand lol
> 
> Prompt 5 - ~~Royal AU~~ | **Roommates**

It was a chilly Fall morning and Hifumi was making another attempt at trying to brew her own coffee, her hands shook as she poured the cream into the warm cup she had just made, her coffee siphon rested near her on the messy counter.

“I...think that’s good?” said Hifumi, unsure as she picked up the cup and headed for her kitchen table, “Please let this one be good...” she whispered to herself as she took a sip.

But sadly this cup was the worst one yet as Hifumi spit it out immediately, the bitterness too much for her tongue.

Once she regained her composure, the brunette let out a sigh and got up to get some towels to clean up the mess of another failed cup, “Maybe next time...”

Suddenly she heard a knock at the door, “Just a moment!” she called as she went over to the nearest trash can and tossed the messy towels in.

Quickly she went down the hall to her apartment’s front door and she looked through the peephole to find her friend Makoto standing there.

She opened the door with a smile, “Hello Makoto-san.”

“Ah! There you are Hifumi-san! I hope I’m not intruding...”

“Oh no! I was just cleaning something up, please come in.” said Hifumi as she moved to give Makoto room to walk in.

“Thank you.”

Hifumi closed the door behind her as Makoto took her shoes off, “So what brings you here? Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you and I came over because there’s something I’d like to discuss with you, if you don’t mind.”

“Hopefully nothing to serious.” said Hifumi with some worry in her voice.

“Well....yes and no...” said Makoto as she and Hifumi walked into the living room and took a seat.

“Hm? What does that mean?”

“Well, um...you’re looking for a roommate right?”

“...Yes?”

“Well, I think I found one for you...”

“Oh! Well that’s wonderful!! When will she-”

“Um!” Makoto cleared her throat, “I-I’m sorry but um.......that’s the thing......the person I have in mind isn’t a she.....but a he....plus a cat...”

“....Oh...”

“I-I know you said you wanted a female roommate but I _really_ need you to let him stay with you right now, at least until he can find another place! He’s been staying with me and Sis for a while but there’s a very good reason that he can’t say with us anymore...”

“You do realize I don’t want a male roommate for a very good reason too right?” said Hifumi with some hostility in her voice, “Can’t you find someone else to take him?”

“I-I know and I would if I could but you’re the only one I can turn to for this!!”

“Why?” asked Hifumi, her upset tone still present.

“It involves his situation....he gave me permission to tell you some of it if you’re willing to listen...”

Hifumi sat there for a moment before crossing her arms and legs, “Go on.”

Makoto gave her a smile as if to say ‘Thank you’ and took a deep breath, “This man is a very good friend of mine and I’ve known him for a very long time, and in that time me and our other friends in our friend group have known that his relationship with his parents....isn’t the best...”

“...How so?” asked Hifumi, her hostility dropping somewhat.

“We didn’t find out until about 2 years ago but his parents are....abusive towards him, to put it bluntly...” Makoto took a deep breath to seemingly compose herself.

Hifumi felt her heart sink, “....O-Oh...”

“He’s been living on his own for a while now but his financial situation changed drastically recently and he got evicted so he had to start living with his parents again...”

“Why go back to them?” asked a confused Hifumi as she uncrossed her arms and legs, “How could he go back to them after how awfully they’ve treated him?”

“I don’t know....no one does...”

“...I see.”

“....But something happened while he was staying with them, he refuses to tell as what though...”

“...And now he’s staying with you?”

“For now yes, he’s actually stayed with everyone in our friend group before staying with me and Sis.”

“Why has he moved around so much?”

“I think it’s related to whatever happened between him and his parents, he hasn’t told us much but he doesn’t seem to want to stay with any of us for long and.....I think I know the reason why and well....well it scares me...”

“It...scares you?”

“Again I don’t know what happened and he won’t talk about it but....I think he might be fearing for his life...”

Hifumi felt her heart drop, “H-Huh?”

“I know it sounds ridiculous but I honestly think it’s the case...”

“W-Would they seriously come after him?”

“I would hope not but unfortunately they do know where I and the rest of our friends live which is what I think is stressing him out so much...” Makoto brushed some hair out of her face, “He feels safe with us but the idea of his parents showing up at our places at any moment...”

“....Must be terrifying...” Hifumi said, a depressed tone in her voice, “Not just for his safely but for yours as well...”

Makoto nodded, “That’s why I want him to stay with you, since he doesn’t know you, his parents don’t know you and-”

“And so they don’t know where I live...”

“Yes, and again I know this is sudden and I’m not asking for you to take him in forever, it’s just until we can find him a new, safe place to stay!”

“....Alright...”

“I know you have your reasons but- wait, huh?”

“He can stay here.”

“R-Really?”

“I have my reasons for him to not stay here and I don’t know him but....if he truly is in danger I can’t ignore that...” said Hifumi as she rose from her seat, “He can even come over today if he wants to, cat included.”

“Oh, thank you Hifumi-san!” said Makoto as she leap from her seat and wrapped Hifumi in a tight hug, “I’ll go let him know right away!!” Makoto made her way to the door.

“A-Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink before you go?” called Hifumi behind her.

“No, thank you! I’ll see you later!!” called back Makoto as she slipped on her shoes and made her way out the door.

“S-See you later!” Hifumi stood in her apartments hallway, staring at her front door as the closed behind Makoto, “...What am I doing?” she sighed.

Hifumi looked around “I guess I should clean...” she wasn’t a slob but even she had to admit the place could use some work so she tried to go about making her apartment more presentable for her new roommate, she dusted, swept, took out the trash, put thing away that she had left out, by the time she was done a few hours have pasted and she received a text from Makoto.

 **[Makoto]:** I gave him your address and he should be there any minute.

 **[Hifumi]:** Thank you for letting me know.

 **[Makoto]:** You’re welcome and thank you for doing this.

Hifumi stared at her phone for a minute and realized something.

 **[Hifumi]:** Hey Makoto-san?

 **[Makoto]:** Yes?

 **[Hifumi]:** I don’t think you’ve told me this mans name...

 **[Makoto]:** OH MY GOD.

 **[Makoto]:** I’M SO SORRY! His name is Akira Kurusu!!

Hifumi couldn’t help but laugh.

 **[Hifumi]:** It’s alright, thank you.

 **[Makoto]:** You’re welcome and I’m sorry again...

Hifumi jumped as she heard a knock at the door followed by a muffled ‘Hello?’

 **[Hifumi]:** I think he might be here so I’ll talk to you later.

 **[Makoto]:** Oh alright! Talk to you later!!

Hifumi set her phone down and made her way down the hall and to her front door, looking through the peephole she saw a tall, lean, boy with black frizzy hair standing there, a bag on his shoulder and a rolling suitcase behind him.

Hifumi unlocked the door and opened it slightly peeking out from behind it, "Hello?"

"U-Um yes is this the residence of Hifumi Togo-san?"

"Yes it is, you must be Kurusu-san."

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry about how sudden this is but for the time being please take care of me." said Kurusu with a slight bow.

His politeness took Hifumi aback, she opened the door fully, “N-No it’s quite alright! Please come in...” she moved to the side to allow him room to walk.

“T-Thank you...” said Kurusu as he rubbed the back of his neck and walked inside.

“I’ll lead you to your room.” said Hifumi as she walked in front of him.

“Oh! Ok...” said Kurusu as he followed her into what was once the guest room.

“You’ll be staying here for now, you can unpack whenever you’d like and feel free to equate yourself with the place.”

“T-Thank you...” said Kurusu as he set his luggage on his bed.

“...You’re welcome.” said Hifumi as she made her way to her living room, sat on the couch, got her old shogi broad and the bag that contained its pieces off the nightstand beside her.

Placing the shogi board on the coffee table in front of her she began to carefully set down the pieces one by one, when suddenly she jumped as a black and white cat leapt onto the table, thankfully missing the wooden board she was preparing.

“W-Wha-”

“Morgana!” called Kurusu as he quickly made his way to the entrance of the living room, “I-I’m so sorry!!” Kurusu entered the room and quickly but gently scooped the feline into his arms.

“Morgana you can’t run off like that!” scolded Kurusu.

“Meow.” said the cat, oblivious to his mischief.

Kurusu sighed, “I’m so sorry Togo-san, he’s normally better than this...”

“I-It’s quite alright...” said Hifumi as she stared at the feline resting comfortably in his owners arms, “Makoto-san did mention you had a cat.”

“Y-Yes his name is Morgana but sometimes I just call him ‘Mona’.”

“I would hope he won’t be too much trouble, right?”

“H-He won’t! I promise!! He’s probably just adjusting to the new place...”

“I see...” Hifumi returned her focus to her shogi board, placing the wooden pieces as if they were glass.

“...S-So you play shogi?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I-I see...” the air between the two became cold, “W-Well me and Morgana will....have a look around...”

“Very well.”

Once Kurusu had left the room and all the pieces were set Hifumi began to move them around as if she were playing against an opponent that wasn’t there, the gears in mind turning as she moved the pieces around, the look on her face as serious as if she were the strategist in a war.

She was so hyper focused that the clattering and shuffling from the kitchen fell on deaf ears until she could smell something nutty coming from the kitchen.

“That’s...” Hifumi rose from her seat and made her way to the kitchen where she found Kurusu setting down two fresh cups of coffee, “What are you...”

“Ah! Togo-san! I-I’m sorry I used your siphon without asking I just....couldn’t resist...”

“Those smell good...”

“...Would you like one?”

Without a word Hifumi made her way over to the table and took a seat, taking the cup closest to her.

Kurusu took a seat close to her, taking the unattended cup, “Again I’m sorry for not asking but I hope you like it...”

Hifumi took a sip and she well her chest go warm, “This is...”

“Hm?”

“This is good!”

“T-Thank you!”

“How are you so good at this?” asked Hifumi as she stared at the coffee amazed.

“I’ve learned how brew coffee since I was a teen.”

“I see...”

“Are you interested in coffee Togo-san? You have a siphon after all.”

“I’ve been trying to learn how to brew it as a hobby but....it hasn’t been going very well...”

Kurusu chuckled, “I see...”

“Meow.” the two adults turned to find Morgana standing on the table.

“Ah! M-Morgana get down!”

“No, no, it’s alright!”

“R-Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Alright...” Akira proceed to take a sip of his cup, a smile lighting up his face as he lowered the cup and Hifumi could feel her cheeks turn pink for some reason.

“S-So you know Makoto-san?”

“Yes, I’ve known her since high school.” said Kurusu as he scratched behind one of Morgana’s ears, “I’m sorry again that she asked you to do this so suddenly...”

“It’s alright, I should be the one apologizing...”

“Why?”

“I’ve been so cold to you since you’ve arrived despite knowing of your situation, that was incredibly rude of me, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright! Makoto didn’t go into detail as to why but she said you were _really_ looking for a female roommate for some reason so I understand why you’d be upset with me...”

“I’m.....not upset with you....I’m upset with my mother...”

“Your mother?”

“Yes, she’s very......overprotective.....of me when it comes to men and dating so I wanted to avoid having a male roommate so she wouldn’t throw a fit and yell at me....or worse of all you...”

“I see...” Akira took another sip, “Well she doesn’t sound as bad as my mother so I’m sure I could take her.”

Hifumi chuckled but soon went silent, “....Your mother...”

“....Yeah...”

“Might I asked what happened between you and your parents to cause this situation?”

“....I don’t want to talk about it...” said Kurusu as his voice suddenly became very distance sounding, his eyes glassy, and his tone cold.

“S-Sorry...”

“It’s alright...” said Kurusu, tone unchanging.

“....Um...” an awkward silence fell between the two, Hifumi desperately tried to think of a way to break it, “Um....about earlier...”

“Yeah?”

“Are you...interested in shogi?”

Kurusu perked up a bit, “Yeah a little bit, it’s always looked interesting to me but I’ve just never had the time to learn how to play...”

“I can teach you if you want.”

“Really?”

“Of course, I’d be happy to.” said Hifumi with a smile.

“That’s nice of you, thanks.” said Kurusu returning her smile, “And how about I teach how to make coffee in return!”

“That’d be very nice, I’d appreciate it.”

“Meow.” said Morgana as he pawed at Kurusu.

“Sorry for ignoring you Morgana.” said Kurusu with a laugh as he continued to show him affection.

“He’s quite the cute cat.”

“Don’t say that or you’ll feed his ego.”

Hifumi laugh, “Oh really?”

“Yes, he’s quite full of himself.” said Kurusu with a smirk on his face, “Thinks he’s the more handsome of the two of us.”

“Well I disagree, I’d say you’re both pretty handsome.”

“...You think I’m handsome?”

Hifumi went red-faced, nearly dropped her cup onto the table, “I MEAN- I-I’m so sorry Kurusu-san I-”

“Hey, hey, hey! It’s ok! I appreciate the compliment.” said Kurusu as he rested one of his hands on her shoulder in reinsurance, “Also....you can call me Akira.”

“H-Huh? R-Really?”

“Yeah.” said Akira with a warm smiled.

“I-If that’s the case....you can call me Hifumi...” said Hifumi, her face still red and warm.

“I look forward to living with you Hifumi-san.”

“Same to you, A-Akira-san.” said Hifumi as she started to think that her mother finding out wasn’t the only thing she had to fear with Akira living here...

**Author's Note:**

> What happened between Akira and his parents is up to interpretation so feel free to imagine what ever you want and make it as angsty as you like!!


End file.
